US discount carrier JetBlue Airways said on Monday it plans to partner with Air China on flights, its first such agreement with a China-based airline.

The carriers said in a statement that they will initially offer connections between their networks at New York’s John F Kennedy airport and Los Angeles, allowing Air China’s US-bound passengers to get to other cities served by JetBlue.

Air China plans to enter into a codeshare with JetBlue later this year, pending government approval.

JetBlue in late May said it had received approval to build a facility for international arrivals at JFK.